FABLE XXIX
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
There was a very proud horse. He thought he was the best. The Proud Horse ran fast. He wore a big saddle. He wore a nice bridle. He made a loud sound. He was very proud. He was strong. He felt important.
He saw The Humble Donkey. The Donkey walked slowly. He carried a big load. The load was very heavy. He walked on the same path. The Donkey worked hard. He did not complain. He was a good worker.
The Proud Horse stopped. He spoke in a loud voice. "Move now!" he said. "Move, Donkey!" "Move! I will push you." He was very mean. He was very bossy. He thought he was better. He did not like slow donkeys. He looked down on them.
The Humble Donkey did not speak. He moved to the side. He moved slowly. He was very quiet. The Proud Horse went past him. The Donkey was patient. He let the Horse pass. He did not make a sound.
Later, the Proud Horse went to fight. He got a bad eye injury. He could not see well. He could not be a war horse. He could not fight anymore. He was not strong now. He could not show off. He was very sad. His fighting days were over. He felt useless. His glory was gone.
They took his big saddle. They took his nice bridle. He had no nice things. He was not a war horse. They sold him to a man. He carried heavy loads now. He was not proud. He was sad. He worked hard. His life changed much. He missed his old life. He was just a work horse.
The Humble Donkey saw him. He saw The Proud Horse. The Horse looked very different. He looked sad and weak. He carried a heavy load. He was not fast now. He was not proud now. The Donkey remembered him. He felt a little pity. The Horse looked so tired.
The Humble Donkey spoke. He spoke to The Proud Horse. "Hello, friend," he said. "You were proud. Now you carry heavy loads."
Original Story
FABLE XXIX.
THE CHARGER AND THE ASS.
The Horse, adorned with his great war-saddle, and champing his foaming bridle, came thundering along the way, and made the mountains echo with his loud, shrill neighing. He had not gone far before he overtook an Ass, who was labouring under a heavy burthen, and moving slowly on in the same track with himself. Immediately he called out to him, in a haughty, imperious tone, and threatened to trample him in the dirt, if he did not make way for him. The poor, patient Ass, not daring to dispute the matter, quietly got out of his way as fast as he could, and let him go by. Not long after this, the same Horse, in an engagement with the enemy, happened to be shot in the eye, which made him unfit for show or any military business; so he was stript of his fine ornaments, and sold to a carrier. The Ass, meeting him in this forlorn condition, thought that now it was his time to speak; and so, says he, "Heyday, friend, is it you? Well, I always believed that pride of yours would one day have a fall."
MORAL.
Pride and haughtiness are foreign to really great men. Those who show it, when in their high estate, if the wheel of fortune should change, instead of friendship or pity, will meet with nothing but contempt.
THE CHARGER AND THE ASS.
Story DNA
Moral
Pride and haughtiness are foreign to really great men; those who show it, when in their high estate, if the wheel of fortune should change, instead of friendship or pity, will meet with nothing but contempt.
Plot Summary
A proud war-horse, full of himself, encounters a humble ass carrying a heavy burden. The horse haughtily threatens the ass to get out of his way, which the ass quietly does. Later, the horse is injured in battle, losing his status and being sold to a carrier. The ass then meets the now-forlorn horse and delivers a pointed remark about how his pride led to his downfall, reinforcing the fable's moral about the consequences of arrogance.
Themes
Emotional Arc
pride to humility
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often reflect social hierarchies and moral values prevalent in pre-industrial societies, where status could change dramatically due to war or misfortune.
Plot Beats (8)
- A magnificent war-horse, adorned and full of himself, gallops along a road, neighing loudly.
- He overtakes a heavily burdened ass, moving slowly on the same path.
- The Horse imperiously threatens to trample the Ass if he doesn't get out of the way.
- The patient Ass, not daring to argue, quietly moves aside to let the Horse pass.
- Sometime later, the same Horse is shot in the eye during an engagement with the enemy, rendering him unfit for military or show purposes.
- Stripped of his fine ornaments, the Horse is sold to a carrier.
- The Ass encounters the Horse in his new, humble, and forlorn condition.
- The Ass seizes the opportunity to speak, remarking on the Horse's downfall and attributing it to his former pride.
Characters
The Charger
A large, muscular warhorse, likely a destrier or similar breed, with a powerful build suitable for carrying a knight into battle. His coat is a rich, dark color, possibly bay or black, with a glossy sheen. He stands tall and proud, exuding strength and vitality.
Attire: Adorned with a 'great war-saddle' made of sturdy leather, possibly embossed or decorated with metal studs, and a 'foaming bridle' crafted from fine leather with polished metal bits and buckles. He might also wear a decorative caparison or barding in battle, though not explicitly mentioned for his initial appearance.
Wants: To assert his dominance and maintain his perceived high status and importance.
Flaw: Excessive pride and arrogance, which blinds him to the value of others and makes him vulnerable to a change in fortune.
He begins as an arrogant, powerful warhorse who looks down on others. He suffers a debilitating injury in battle, loses his status and fine adornments, and is reduced to a common carrier's horse, experiencing a significant fall from grace.
Haughty, imperious, proud, arrogant, boastful. He believes himself superior due to his strength and military role.
The Ass
A sturdy, grey-brown donkey of average size, built for endurance and carrying heavy loads. His coat is likely coarse and dusty from his labor. He appears humble and unassuming, perhaps a bit weary.
Attire: Carrying a 'heavy burthen' (burden), which would involve a simple, worn pack saddle made of canvas or coarse leather, with ropes or straps securing various goods. No decorative elements, purely functional.
Wants: To simply carry out his daily tasks and survive, avoiding conflict when outmatched. Later, to express his long-held observations about pride.
Flaw: Initially, his lack of physical power and social standing makes him vulnerable to bullying and unable to stand up for himself.
He begins as a submissive, patient creature who endures mistreatment. He learns that pride leads to a fall and gains the confidence to speak his mind when circumstances change, demonstrating the moral of the fable.
Patient, humble, enduring, observant, and eventually, a bit smug or vindicated. He is not confrontational but remembers slights.
Locations
Mountain Road
A winding, unpaved road cut through mountainous terrain, where the sounds of a horse's hooves and neighing echo loudly. The path is wide enough for a charger to thunder along, but also accommodates a heavily laden ass.
Mood: initially grand and imposing, later shifts to mundane
The proud Charger encounters and threatens the humble Ass on the road, forcing him to make way.
Battlefield
A chaotic and dangerous open field where military engagements take place. The specific conditions are not detailed, but it's a place of conflict where the Charger sustains a debilitating injury.
Mood: chaotic, dangerous, violent
The Charger is shot in the eye during an engagement, leading to his downfall.
Carrier's Route / Common Road
A less grand, more utilitarian road or path, typical for a carrier's work. The Charger, now stripped of his finery, is seen in a 'forlorn condition' here, suggesting a humble, perhaps muddy or well-worn path.
Mood: mundane, humble, melancholic for the Charger
The Ass encounters the once-proud Charger, now reduced to a common carrier's horse, and delivers a moral lesson.